Armistead rolls to sixth victory of season at Senoia

From Special Reports
sports@newnan.com
Race fans at Senoia Raceway are beginning to scratch their heads and wonder who is going to beat Joe Armistead, Jr.
The local Senoia hot shoe won his sixth Jodeco Auto Sales Late Model feature of the season on Saturday. Armistead was not the fastest, but he was the winner when the checkered flag flew over the field.

Hamilton’s Brand Lewis bested the field for his first Senoia Raceway victory this season in the Newnan Bonding B Cadets.
Other winners saw Carrollton’s Clifton Moran return to victory lane in the Summit Racing Equipment Hobby Stocks, while Newnan’s Brandon Bright and Jay Conner won their respective main events in the Mini Stocks and Bombers.
Temple driver Allen Brewster topped the short field of Modified Minis.
Darda Armistead’s success came while taking a bit of an advantage from the post-pole dice roll after qualifying with the fourth fastest run. Fast qualifier Tod Darda of LaGrange rolled a four which eventually landed Armistead in the No. 1 spot, leading track announcer Ted Austad to ask, “Where do you have the horseshoe hidden?”
Armistead did not waver as he shot out to the lead over Hamilton’s Thomas Lewis and then cruised to his sixth win of the 2012 campaign.
The rest of the Jodeco Auto Sales Late Models field left drivers vying for third place. Darda battled with Stockbridge’s Trey White and the pair touched on Lap 3 in Turn Two, causing both to slow. Newnan’s Craig Scott had nowhere to go and clipped White before Thomaston’s Laddie Fulcher slammed in Scott’s ‘Zero Hero’ Chevrolet. The crash ended both Scott’s and Fulcher’s night early.

Jodeco Auto Sales Late Model point’s leader, Racin Jason Williams of Locust Grove climbed up the rundown finishing in fourth to maintain his lead over Darda going into this weekend’s racing action.

NEWNAN BONDING B CADETS

Brand Lewis used his lucky draw of the pole position while returning to Senoia Raceway for thie first time this season.

Defending Summit Racing Equipment Hobby Stock champion, Clifton ‘Hog Head’ Moran, worked past Senoia’s Winford Minix on lap three of the feature race and then held off LaGrange’s Dusty Jones for the victory.

Loganville’s Bill Brown finished eighth but inherited the points lead as Kerry Carden was absent from the holiday weekend race card. Moran is second behind Brown in the updated point standings.

MINI STOCKS

Brandon Bright became the first three-time winner in the Mini Stocks division this season. Bright won an early heat race which helped him secure the pole position. He battled with defending Mini Stock champion Gary Parker for most of the 15-lap main event. Parker faded late allowing Bright to cruise to the win. Parker crossed the line second, but was disqualified after post race inspection found his mustang with solid lifters.

Newnan’s Brandon Creech and Senoia’s Robert Caldwell were in a final lap fight for the third place spot when they came up on a lapped car. Caldwell shot past on the low side, but was clipped sending him out and into the back stretch wall. Caldwell’s Ford Pinto bounced hard of the wall and then rolled back across the speedway where Villa Rica’s Wayne King clobbered him. The crash allowed Creech to take home third ahead of Douglasville’s Erik Hogsed and Douglasville’s Rocky Johnson.

The Mini Stock division will run a special extended lap feature on Saturday.

BOMBERS

Jay Conner became the seventh different feature winner in eight races for the Bomber division. Conner passed 88-year-old Pappy Powell on an early race restart and then held off Griffin’s Jonathan Archer for the victory.

THIS WEEK

Senoia Raceway will crank back up this Saturday with its “Summer Break-Out Special” featuring the Mini Stock extended lap main feature along with a full night of points racing for the Jodeco Auto Sales Late Models, Newnan Bonding B Cadets, Summit Racing Equipment Hobby Stocks and Bombers.

The pit gates will open at 5 p.m., and grandstands at 6. Hot laps are scheduled for 7 p.m. with the first green flag set to fly around 8. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and free to those 5 and under.

For additional information on Senoia Raceway, visit the speedway website at www.senoiaraceway.com , ‘like’ their Facebook.com webpage or call the speedway at 770-599-6161.